Kevin Lankinen gets the start for Vancouver in Edmonton tonight.
The Oilers have had plenty of recent experience with Canucks goalies in recent times.
They know Thatcher Demko, of course. He's vexed the Oilers for years, putting up a .919 save percentage against Edmonton despite a 5-8-1 career record. They know his backup, Arturs Silovs, after he nearly stole their second round playoff series against the Canucks last season.
They'll get to know another Canucks netminder tonight, as Kevin Lankinen gets the start in the teams' first matchup since that game seven in May.
Vancouver signed Lankinen as Demko insurance just last week, as there's still no timetable for the Canucks' starter to return from injury. The 29-year-old Finn has a career 45-43-12 record and a .905 save percentage in four years as a backup in Chicago and Nashville.
Lankinen made his Canucks debut last Friday in a loss to Seattle, allowing three goals on 23 shots. He's 1-3-0 in four starts and one relief appearance against the Oilers in his career, with an .881 save percentage. His best performance against Edmonton came on November 4th last year, when he made 33 saves on 35 shots in a 5-2 Predators win.
He'll likely be Arturs Silovs' backup to start the season until Demko is ready to come back. Silovs is set to start the pre-season finale against Edmonton on Friday.
Lankinen will be behind an extremely young and inexperienced Canucks squad tonight, with only six NHL regulars in the lineup. One of those regulars is Vincent Desharnais, making his return to Edmonton after signing in Vancouver as a free agent during the offseason.
The Oilers and Canucks hit the ice at Rogers Place at 7:00 MT tonight, live on Sportsnet.
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